Ice Formation and Storage Device

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an ice formation device that can be used to form and store ice and ice cubes. The ice formation device includes an outer bucket, a cylinder, and a lid. The cylinder is sized to snugly fit within the outer bucket to form a water tight seal with the outer bucket. The outer bucket has channels and pockets that are filled with water when the cylinder is inserted into the outer bucket, and the water is frozen to form ice/ice cubes. The cylinder can be re-inserted into the outer bucket after ice is formed and stored in the outer bucket, to allow for subsequent ice formation when the outer bucket contains ice cubes that have been released from the outer bucket&#39;s channels and pockets. The ice formation device can also be used as an ice bucket for chilling a bottle or other items that can be placed inside the cylinder once ice has been formed between the cylinder and the outer bucket.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/642,152 filed Mar. 13, 2018.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a device used for the formation and storage of ice, particularly ice cubes.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The formation of ice with conventional ice trays is both cumbersome and problematic. Issues with use of conventional ice trays include, but are not limited to, the difficulty of filling each ice compartment to the same level; transporting the filled tray to the freezer without spilling any water from the tray; placing the tray in the freezer without spilling water; ensuring the tray is level within the freezer; ice cubes going stale from absorbing food and other odors in the freezer, and ice cube evaporation while in the tray.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,307,670 to Stewart et al. is directed to an ice holding device that addresses several of the issues or problems associated with conventional ice cube trays. The device disclosed therein has an ice holding assembly that includes an external chamber, a bucket that inserts snugly into the external chamber and a lid for closing the assembly. Pockets for the forming of ice may be formed in the external chamber or the internal bucket, depending on the embodiment. The device is promoted as also useful for the serving of ice, as well as the chilling of wine bottles and other cold beverage containers.

Despite the improvements described in the aforementioned device, it still has limitations. With it's bucket design, the ice forming device can only be used once to form ice cubes. After the bucket is removed to obtain ice cubes, the cubes fall into the space occupied by the bucket when the bucket is in use. Therefore, the external chamber has to be emptied before the bucket can be re-inserted to make more ice cubes.

Thus, there remains a need in the art for an ice cube forming device that can be conveniently used to make and store ice, and provide an ice bucket for chilling bottles, such as wine bottles. The present invention provides such an ice formation and storage device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosed ice formation device includes an outer bucket, a cylinder, and an optional lid. The cylinder is designed to be inserted into the outer bucket and form a water tight seal, in which the outer wall of the cylinder forms a water tight seal with the inner wall and bottom of the outer bucket. The bottom of the outer bucket contains a groove or slot that the bottom edge of the cylinder snugly fits into to form a water tight seal across the bottoms of the cylinder and the outer bucket. The outer bucket contains channels and bulbous pockets that water can flow into when the cylinder is fully inserted into the outer bucket. The channels and pockets are therefore ice forming compartments, such that when filled and then placed into a freezer for freezing, ice in the form of ice cubes is formed in the channels and pockets.

Once the ice is formed in the outer bucket, the cylinder is removed, and ice is released from the outer bucket by squeezing/compressing the outer bucket. Accordingly, the outer bucket is made from a flexible material that repeatedly can be frozen and thawed. Such a material includes, but is not limited to, thermoplastic rubber, silicone, polyethylene, and the like.

Once ice is released from the outer bucket, the ice can be stored in the outer bucket or poured into another container or used in various, typical ways. Advantageously, the cylinder can be re-inserted into the outer bucket while the outer bucket has ice in it. The ice formation device can therefore be used to simultaneously make and store ice.

The ice formation and storage device can also be used as an ice bucket, whereby a bottle, food, and the like can be inserted into the cylinder while the cylinder is inserted into the outer bucket and ice is formed in the channels and pockets of the outer bucket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an angled, exploded side view of an embodiment of an ice formation device.

FIG. 2 shows an angled, side view of an embodiment of an ice formation device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an ice formation and storage device. In particular, the presently disclosed device is useful for making and storing ice cubes, along with simultaneously being able to store ice cubes and make more. In addition, the ice formation device is useful as an ice bucket for chilling bottles, such as wine bottles, and other items that can conveniently fit within the cylinder portion of the ice formation device.

The presently disclosed device is comprised of an outer bucket that has formations or protrusions on it for forming ice and ice cubes, an inner sleeve or cylinder that fits into the outer bucket, and a lid that can be fitted on top of the ice bucket and cylinder. The outer bucket and cylinder design can also be referred to as a double chamber design, in which the outer bucket constitutes an outer chamber or chambers that are used to freeze water and form ice. The interior of the outer bucket constitutes an interior chamber that can be used to store ice. The interior chamber aspect of the ice formation device may or may not include the cylinder, which may be inserted into the outer bucket either when there is no ice in the outer bucket or when there is ice in the outer bucket.

The outer bucket formations or protrusions that form ice-forming compartments (in conjunction with the cylinder, as described below) are herein referred to as channels and/or pockets for convenience. One of skill in the art will recognize that the terms “channels” and “pockets” may be used interchangeably, along with terms such as formations, protrusions, spaces extending from the outer bucket interior wall, and so forth. The channels and pockets hold water for the formation of ice. As used herein with respect to a preferred embodiment, “channels” refer to smaller openings to be filled with water, while “pockets” refer to larger, more rounded openings to be filled with water. The channels allow water to flow between and fill the pockets, and in themselves function as ice forming compartments. As shown in the preferred embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the channels lie between the pockets and vice versa, such that the channels and pockets form a lattice-like structure defined by alternating, connecting channels and pockets. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a channel typically connects between two adjacent pockets in the ice formation device. Since there are a number of rows of pockets in the ice formation device, each pocket is connected to another pocket by several channels.

For example, in the preferred embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pockets formed at the bottom of the ice formation device each connect to other pockets via three channels, with two horizontal channels and one vertical channel. The upper pockets each connect to each other via four channels, with two vertical channels and two horizontal channels. The uppermost pockets connect to an upper, outer channel or rim that is formed between the cylinder and the outer bucket. The uppermost pockets connect to vertical channels that open to the outer channel/rim, such that water can be poured into the outer channel/rim and inter into the outer bucket's channels and pockets via the openings of the upper, vertical channels.

The lid preferably fits onto the outer bucket to form an air tight seal over the outer bucket. The lid fits onto the outer bucket regardless of the presence (fully inserted) or absence of the cylinder. Accordingly, the lid forms an air tight seal over the outer bucket alone or the outer bucket in combination with the fully inserted cylinder.

The ice formation device is used in the formation of ice by first inserting the inner cylinder into the outer bucket. The bottom of the outer bucket contains a slot or groove that receives the bottom edge of the inner cylinder, such that the bottom edge of the inner cylinder engages the bucket to form a water-tight seal. The cylinder has an outer diameter that is approximately the same size as the inner diameter of the outer bucket. In this regard, the exterior of the cylinder tightly engages the inner surface of the outer bucket to form a water-tight seal. Thus, the bottom edge and exterior of the cylinder work to seal the inner wall of the outer bucket and make it water tight, such that water can be poured into the outer bucket to form ice cubes.

The outer bucket is typically formed as a single, continuous material that has an overall configuration of a bucket having a bottom connected to an upright, cylindrical portion. The upright, cylindrical portion is comprised of a series of curved panels that form and define an interior wall of the outer bucket. The curved panels are continuously connected by a series of portions that extend out from the interior wall to form a network or lattice of outwardly extended portions. The network or lattice of extended portions creates a series of channels and/or pockets that water can flow through and into for the formation of ice. Once a given channel and/or pocket is filled with water, it can be frozen to form ice. In this regard, the channels and/or pockets are compartments that fill with water in the formation of ice.

In a traditional ice/ice cube tray, the compartments are horizontally positioned to be filled with water, and then are frozen to form ice that is removed from the tray. In the presently disclosed ice formation device, the channels and/or pockets that protrude from the interior diameter of the outer bucket are compartments that hold water for the formation of ice. The cylinder that slides/inserts into the outer bucket forms a water-tight seal with the outer bucket, such that the cylinder seals against the curved panels of the outer bucket. The channels and/or pockets that protrude from the curved panels, in combination with the cylinder, form sealed compartments that hold water for the formation of ice. The ice formation device therefore has a series of connected compartments that form ice from water held in a vertical orientation, rather than the horizontal orientation of a traditional ice/ice cube tray.

In this regard, the present device is space saving compared to traditional ice trays, since it is self-contained and does not have to be stacked onto another tray or spread out over a large horizontal space to make ice. Moreover, the freezing compartments are sealed off, such that the ice formation device is a spill-proof series of ice-forming compartments, with little to no spilling of water poured into the device, provided the device is kept level or nearly so one water is poured into it for the formation of ice through a freezing cycle.

Moreover, the ice formation device can be used sequentially several times to make ice while holding/storing already formed ice. For example, in a preferred embodiment, the outer bucket has a total of 40 connected channels and/or pockets that can form 40 ice cubes in a single freezing cycle. Those 40 ice cubes can then be removed from the channels and/or pockets and stored in the interior space of the outer bucket. The cylinder can then be re-inserted to allow another freezing cycle to produce more ice, or 40 ice cubes in this instance. In a preferred embodiment, the ice formation device has a size and storage capacity that allows for 3 freezing cycles, such that the ice formation device will be filled with up to 120 ice cubes from 3 sequential rounds of forming 40 ice cubes.

When the inner cylinder is inserted into the outer bucket, water can flow into the outer bucket and its channels through a series of slots/openings in the top of the outer bucket. In this regard, the outer bucket can be filled with water by pouring water into the rim formed between the outer bucket and the inner cylinder.

Once ice is formed in the outer bucket, it can be extracted by simply removing the inner cylinder and then squeezing the outer bucket to forcibly release the ice/ice cubes that were formed between the outer bucket and the inner cylinder. After the ice is released from the outer bucket, it can be removed from the outer bucket for storage, use, etc. Alternatively, the ice can remain in the outer bucket for storage and/or use. Advantageously, the ice formation device can be used to make more ice without removing ice from the outer bucket. Given the design of the inner cylinder and the means by which it seals into the bottom of the outer bucket and inside the interior, upright/vertical surface of the outer bucket, the cylinder can be fitted over ice in the outer bucket, such that the cylinder can be re-inserted over ice formed within the bucket. In this manner, the ice formation device can be used in subsequent formations of ice while holding/storing ice/ice cubes that has been formed in the device. The ice formation device advantageously can simultaneously store and form ice.

The ice formation device can also be used as chilling device for chilling bottles and other objects or foods placed into the inner cylinder while the cylinder is in place and ice has been formed in the outer bucket's channels and pockets. In this respect, the ice formation device may have an overall design that incorporates a cylinder having an inner diameter sized to readily accept or accommodate a typical bottle size and/or shape, such as sizes typically found in wine bottles and other beverages, such as soda and other non-alcoholic beverages.

Turning to the drawings, an exploded view of an embodiment of the presently disclosed ice formation device 10 is shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the embodiment 10 has an outer bucket 20, a cylinder 40, and a lid 50. The cylinder 40 is sized to fit snugly into the outer bucket 20, such that when the cylinder 40 is inserted into the outer bucket 20, it forms a water tight seal between the exterior wall of the cylinder 40 and the interior wall of the outer bucket 20. FIG. 2 shows an angled, side view of the ice formation device 10 in which the cylinder 40 is inserted into the outer bucket 20 to form a water tight seal.

The cylinder 40 is open on the bottom, and the cylinder 40 is sized to be inserted into the outer bucket 20. The interior of the bottom of the outer bucket 20 has a groove or slot that the bottom edge 42 of the cylinder 40 snugly fits into to form a water tight seal along the interior bottom of the outer bucket 20. The cylinder 40 also optionally has one or more handles 44 to facilitate handling of the cylinder, such as inserting or removing the cylinder 40 from the outer bucket 20.

As can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer bucket 20 has a configuration of a series of channels 22 that connect to bulbous pockets 24, with the channels 22 and pockets 24 being interconnected/alternating with curved, flat panels 26. The channels 22 and pockets 24 are ice forming compartments that are filled with and hold water when the cylinder 40 is inserted into and forms a water tight seal with the outer bucket 20. The water tight seal is formed between the bottom edge 42 of the cylinder 40 and groove/slot in the interior bottom of the outer bucket 20, and between the outer wall 46 of the cylinder 40 and the interior wall formed by the curved, flat panels 26 of the outer bucket 20. Accordingly, the channels 22 and pockets 24 act as compartments for forming ice/ice cubes, with the resulting ice cubes having shapes defined by the channels 22 and pockets 24.

To use the device 10 for ice formation, the cylinder 40 is first inserted into the outer bucket 20. The water tight seal between the cylinder 40 and outer bucket 20 is then filled with water by pouring water into the upper channel 28 formed between the cylinder 40 and the outer bucket 20. The water flows around the channel 28 and falls/flows into openings or slots 30 that connect to the channels 22 and pockets 24. The openings 30 are the open tops of channels 22 that connect to a first/top row of pockets 24. As the water flows into the openings 30, it flows down through the channels 22 and pockets 24 to fill the channels 22 and pockets 24 with water. As the channels 22 and pockets 24 are filled with water, air that is in the channels 22 and pockets 24 is displaced by the water and pushed out through the channels 22 and pockets 24. The air escapes by passing through the channels 22 and pockets 24 and out an opening 32 that sits in a raised-block or chimney-like configuration 34 and is higher than the other openings 30. This opening 32 allows air to escape as water fills the upper channels 22 and pockets 24. Without the opening 32, water would not run down and through the channels 22 and pockets 24 because the air would not have a route of displacement/escape as it is pushed out of the channels 22 and pockets 24.

After the ice formation device 10 is filled with water, it is inserted into a freezer for the formation of ice. Once the water is frozen into ice, the channels 22 and pockets 24 will essentially contain a lattice of ice. After the cylinder 40 is removed from the outer bucket 20, the outer bucket 20 is squeezed to break and release the lattice of ice from the channels 22 and pockets 24. The resulting ice cubes release from the channels 22 and pocket 24 into the central interior space of the outer bucket 20, where they can be stored for use or poured out into another container.

The lid 50 is designed to snugly fit over the outer bucket 20 (and cylinder 40 when it is inserted in the outer bucket 20). The lid 50 form an air-tight seal over the ice formation device 10 so that ice stored in the outer bucket 20 remains fresh and is less susceptible to evaporation, absorbing food and other odors, and so forth. Likewise, the lid 50 provides insulation over the top of the ice formation device 10 to slow ice melting and thawing when the ice formation device 10 is used outside of a freezer, such as for chilling items placed in the cylinder or when the ice formation device 10 is transported from one location to another.

As mentioned above, ice formed in the ice formation device 10 is released from the channels 22 and pockets 24 by squeezing the outer bucket 20. Accordingly, the outer bucket 20 is made from a flexible material that can be repeatedly frozen and thawed, such as a rubber, silicone, thermoplastic rubber (TPR) and the like. Moreover, the material needs to be a food-grade appropriate/approved material. Typically, the outer bucket 20 is formed/manufactured through an injection molding or similar process, as commonly used in the art. The cylinder 40 and lid 50 are each made of a plastic or resin and the like that can also be repeatedly frozen/thawed and is likewise a food-grade appropriate/approved material.

While the present invention has been described as having particular configurations disclosed herein, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefore intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. An ice formation and storage device comprising an outer bucket and a cylinder, wherein the cylinder is configured to insert into the outer bucket and form a water tight seal with the outer bucket; and the outer bucket has channels that hold water for the formation of ice.
 2. The ice formation and storage device of claim 1, further comprising a lid configured to seal across the top of the outer bucket.
 3. The ice formation and storage device of claim 2, wherein the lid forms an air tight seal across the top of the outer bucket.
 4. The ice formation and storage device of claim 1, wherein the outer bucket has an interior groove across its interior floor, the groove configured to accept the cylinder's bottom edge to form a water tight seal.
 5. The ice formation and storage device of claim 1, wherein the cylinder has one or more handles to facilitate insertion and removal of the cylinder relative to the outer bucket.
 6. The ice formation and storage device of claim 1, wherein the device has an interior, upper channel formed between an inserted cylinder and the upper bucket, wherein the upper channel is configured to receive water used to fill the channels and pockets of the outer bucket.
 7. The ice formation and storage device of claim 1, wherein the outer bucket has an upper, raised block having a channel in it; wherein the channel is connected to other channels in the outer bucket and configured to allow air to escape as the channels and pockets of the outer bucket are filled with water when the cylinder is inserted into the outer bucket.
 8. The ice formation and storage device of claim 1, wherein the outer bucket is formed from a flexible and collapsible material that allows the outer bucket to be compressed so as to release ice formed in the channels and buckets of the outer bucket.
 9. The ice formation and storage device of claim 1, wherein the outer bucket is formed from a thermoplastic rubber.
 10. The ice formation and storage device of claim 1, wherein the outer bucket is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic rubber, silicone, and polyethylene.
 12. The ice formation device of claim 1, wherein the cylinder is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic rubber, silicone, and polyethylene.
 13. The ice formation device of claim 2, wherein the lid is formed from a material selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic rubber, silicone, and polyethylene.
 14. The ice formation and storage device of claim 1, wherein the outer bucket has a cylindrical configuration including: a flat bottom portion having an interior, circular groove configured to receive a bottom edge of the cylinder to form a water-tight seal between the groove and bottom edge of the cylinder; an upper, cylindrical portion having alternating flat, curved panels; channels, and pockets; wherein the flat, curved panels form an interior cylindrical wall configured to fit against an exterior wall of the cylinder to form a water-tight seal between the flat, curved panels and the exterior wall of the cylinder; wherein the channels and pockets protrude exterior relative to the interior wall of the cylinder, to form openings that seal against the exterior wall of the cylinder to form water-holding compartments; wherein the channels and pockets alternate such that each pocket of the outer bucket is connected to another pocket via three or more channels, whereby each channel connects between two pockets; wherein each of the pockets has a greater volume than each of the channels; wherein each flat, curved panel is surrounded by alternating channels and pockets; wherein the top of the outer bucket cylindrical configuration has an upper, open channel configured to receive water that is poured into the upper, open channel when the cylinder is fully inserted into the outer bucket; and wherein each of the upper most pockets of the outer bucket is connected to the upper, open channel by a single upper most channel that vertically connects from the pocket to the upper, open channel and forms an opening to the upper, open channel through which water can flow from the upper, open channel into the water-tight channels and pockets formed between the outer bucket and the fully inserted cylinder.
 15. The ice formation device of claim 14, wherein the outer bucket cylindrical configuration further contains an upper, raised block having a channel in it; wherein the channel is connected to other channels in the outer bucket and configured to allow air to escape as the channels and pockets of the outer bucket are filled with water when the cylinder is inserted into the outer bucket.
 16. The ice formation device of claim 1, wherein each of the outer bucket and cylinder is formed from bisphenol A-free material.
 17. The ice formation device of claim 1, wherein each of the lid is formed from bisphenol A-free material.
 18. An ice bucket comprising an outer bucket, and an inner cylinder; wherein the inner cylinder is configured to slide into and form a water-tight seal with the outer bucket; and wherein the outer bucket has channels and pockets that hold ice against the cylinder.
 19. The ice bucket of claim 18, wherein the outer bucket has as an interior groove across a bottom of the outer bucket; the interior groove configured to engage a bottom edge of the inner cylinder to form a water-tight seal across the bottom of the outer bucket and inner cylinder.
 20. The ice bucket of claim 19, wherein the ice bucket further comprises a lid configured to seal across the outer bucket and cylinder when the cylinder is fully inserted into the outer bucket. 